Reflections on My Content Writing Internship

Writing has been with me all my life. From scribbling on the wall and doodling in my parents’ books as a child, to crafting narrative essays and penning heartfelt poetry as a teenager, writing has remained a constant companion. 

In high school, I was tired of the formulaic, repetitive stories of everyday people doing everyday things. I knew I could write differently. So, I did. In school essays, I wrote about murder, about war, about an attack from the POV of a suicide bomber (aptly named “When there is a will, there is a way”). As expected, my Literature teacher advised against it. 

I did not write for a diverse audience until my content writing internship at TheWayOut Media Network. I remember staring at a blank Word page, thinking of the best introduction to start a piece on what I would ask my future self if I could. I wrote and deleted three times before I found one that was both appropriate and authentic. 

After I got in, my first thought was “what if I can’t write for an audience?” That sentiment turned into uncertainty when I was asked to choose my writing niches. This was the moment I realized my comfort zone had no place in this internship. Still, it was quite clear – business and lifestyle called to me. Since then, I have written and published 6 articles and counting. 

Writing articles did not just push me out of my comfort zone. It helped me leverage skills I had already gained, such as research and storytelling.  I also learned more about structure, organization, and SEO including writing slugs, image descriptions, summary meta-tags, and keywords. I have written on exciting topics including student entrepreneurship and identifying your passion.

The regular workshops I participated in helped me gain new transferable skills, such as identifying and adapting tones, writing for different audiences, identifying your personal writing style, and choosing the best writing style for an article. 

A standout activity for me during this internship was a little exercise I did with my colleagues. We had to randomly select numbers which represented topics. We were given a few minutes to write a certain number of lines on that topic. Then we swapped topics and continued writing, and so on. That activity improved my ability to think on the spot and to communicate big ideas clearly and succinctly. 

I have had an incredible time honing my content writing skill so far, and I look forward to exploring what the rest of the internship holds. A big lesson I would like to highlight is that leaving your comfort zone is oftentimes the best way to move to the next level in any area of your life. Let go of the familiar, and embrace the possible.